Trot audition shows boom following success of 'Ms. Trot'

Official poster of "I am a trot singer" Courtesy of MBC every1

By Park Ji-won

The trot boom is back. TV shows in which trot singers battle for success are growing in number following the mega success of TV Chosun's audition show “Ms. Trot for Tomorrow,” reversing the perception of the genre as music for the elderly.

The recently launched TV Chosun's “Mr. Trot for Tomorrow,” the second season of its first hit talent show among professional and amateur male singers, wrapped up its sixth episode on Thursday with a record 27.5 percent viewership, beating the record of cable channel JTBC's phenomenally successful TV series “SKY Castle,” which hit a record 23.8 percent viewership in February last year.

The trot boom was created after the successful accomplishments of TV Chosun's “Ms. Trot” last year which had its viewer rating hitting a high of 18.1 percent with its last episode, and trot star Song Ga-in, the winner of the program, who became one of the most in-demand singers in the nation.

Trot is an old style of music which was popular in Korea in the 1960s and 1970s and remains popular among the older generation in Korea today. It is known as originating from local “minyo,” or traditional folk music and being influenced by Japanese “enka” during the colonization. With the exception of popular of young Trot singers such as Jang Yoon-jeong and Hong Jin-young, until recently the genre was generally considered uncool and old-fashioned.

Due to the popularity of competition shows on TV Chosun, other cable channels continue to launch trot audition shows, gaining high viewership. MBC every1, a cable channel of MBC, one of the largest TV and radio networks here, launched a trot audition program called “I am a Trot Singer” on Wednesday, or a spinoff of MBC's “I am a Singer,” where professional trot singers compete to win. Its viewer rating hit some 3 percent for the first episode, while related videos drew more viewers every day.

Another cable network MBN also launched its trot audition show “Trot Queen” on Wednesday, drawing a 4 percent viewership for its first episode. It also features amateur or housewife trot singers, vying for the top spot on the program.

Critics say the rising number of such programs can be seen as a reflection of cable networks' willingness to embrace audition shows as a popular format after the hit of “Ms. Trot,” adding, however, it is not similar to the boom of trot music itself.

“'Ms. Trot took a lead in the emergence of those trot audition programs and it is becoming a trend among TV channels. It is special in terms of putting the old-fashioned music genre into a new format like audition shows,” music critic Jung Min-jae said, adding that “It gained such huge popularity as the viewers of those cable channels, or older generations, enjoy trot music.”

”However, it is hard to say that it is a boom of trot music, but a popularity of Song Ga-in and the success of individual TV programs… When a certain genre is booming, people can see musical collaboration with the genre is also active like in 2000s and 2010s. But when it comes to trot, it is not happening now… It is uncertain whether trot can gain more popularity even though the trend of creating trot audition shows will continue for a while.”